Nashville TN

[Queequeg]

I just returned from a long weekend in Nashville with my two grown sons. Never been there before. I know why they call it "Music City". We never saw so many people walking around downtown carrying guitars.
And Honky-tonks. We were told that in order to be called a Honky-tonk in the city of Nashville, the joint has to have live music from the time they open the doors until they close, there's never any cover charge and they must sell beer. The bands play 4-hour sets and the venue does not pay the band; they only play for tips.

All these open-air tour buses driving around town and party wagons pulled by tractors, and those "pedal pubs" which you may know by some other name. All of them filled with young women who seemed to have all had too much to drink even by noon each day. Never saw any guys on these tour buses. Curiosity got the better of me and finally someone told us that Nashville is the bachelorette party capital of the US of A. (I guess we must have been the last ones in the country to have heard this trivial factoid.)


Saturday we drove over to Gruhn's Guitars and spent a couple of hours there. Well worth the visit. Nice folks and lots of good guitars. Earlier this year George Gruhn, age 78 opened up a factory about 30 minutes from his retail store and began building guitars there which he designed himself. This is not his first go-round designing guitars but it is the first time he has been building them in his own factory in the US. He designed the Tacoma guitars years ago and these new ones look somewhat like those for anyone who remembers them. I played a couple of them; both with cedar tops, one rosewood B&S, the other mahogany. Lightweight and quite responsive. I did not bring one home. That's all I'll say about them here on a Larrivee website.

It's a great BBQ town. I especially enjoyed Martin's BBQ. And I went to the Johnny Cash Museum. My oldest son's idea. I enjoyed it quite a bit though. The best thing there for me was reading his hand-written letters. Very thoughtful and personable. He didn't just phone it in. He did a lot more movies and television (in addition to his own TV show) than I recall or maybe ever knew about.
We had a great time and I'd like to return again because there's a lot more to see and do than anyone can fit into a long weekend.

[ducktrapper]

The Country Music Hall of Fame is well worth a visit, as well.

[Queequeg]

The Country Music Hall of Fame is well worth a visit, as well.

No doubt. Next time. Like most places, a weekend, even a long one  is hopelessly insufficient.

[mike in lytle]

Really enjoyed your report on the Nashville trip.
Nashville Cats is one of my favorite songs of all time.
One of the best delivered lines in music....
And up North there ain't nobody buys them
And I said, "But I will"
Just magic.
Mike

[unclrob]

Gruhn also design guitars for Guild I think there Bluesbird was his {there LP copy kinda}



keep smilin and keeep dancin   

[Queequeg]

Really enjoyed your report on the Nashville trip.
Nashville Cats is one of my favorite songs of all time. 
One of the best delivered lines in music....
And up North there ain't nobody buys them
And I said, "But I will"
Just magic.
Mike

Do you believe in magic?

[Queequeg]

Gruhn also design guitars for Guild I think there Bluesbird was his {there LP copy.

 keep smilin and keeep dancin   

Thanks; I had forgotten that, Rob.

[B0WIE]

Thanks for sharing.
A lot of my clients are producers and engineers in Nashville and it's really surprising how many styles of music are recorded there. Definitely not just a country music city anymore.

[ducktrapper]

.
Do you believe in magic?

It's a nice change from tragic. 

[Queequeg]

Thanks for sharing.
A lot of my clients are producers and engineers in Nashville and it's really surprising how many styles of music are recorded there. Definitely not just a country music city anymore.

Definitely; that's right.
"Music Row" is a long stretch of
record label offices, radio stations, record producers and recording studios.
  [quote tweet author=ducktrapper link=msg=482620 date=1697548419]
It's a nice change from tragic. 
[/quote]
I'll welcome any diversion from the tragic, however ephemeral it may be.
Personally, I've always really enjoyed magic and admired magicians, especially close-up magicians, much more than the grandiose highly produced shows a la David Copperfield.

[ducktrapper]

Definitely; that's right.
"Music Row" is a long stretch of
record label offices, radio stations, record producers and recording studios.
  I'll welcome any diversion from the tragic, however ephemeral it may be.
Personally, I've always really enjoyed magic and admired magicians, especially close-up magicians, much more than the grandiose highly produced shows a la David Copperfield.

Yes, if people saw how Copperfield pulled off his tricks, they'd shrug and feel duped. Whereas close magic is done right before your eyes with real skill and not special effects. 

[Queequeg]

Yes, if people saw how Copperfield pulled off his tricks, they'd shrug and feel duped. Whereas close magic is done right before your eyes with real skill and not special effects. 

Precisely.
And, whereas folks will forgive the occasional wrong note or forgotten lyric from a musician, when a magician flubs a trick, the "magic" goes right out the window in a very awkward disappearing act.

[JOYCEfromNS]

Was there about this time last year and the biggest thing I brought home; the seemingly endless "no-name" extreme talent at most every bar and there's a lot of bars! Was amazing!